hopey
I will probably get slammed for saying this, but… MYOB? If the mom is comfortable with it, that is her business. Also, the girl could have been older than you think. I have a niece who is 8 years old and looks more like six.
I am a stepmom all summer to an 8 year old boy, and that may soon change to all year. If someone came up to tell me that my stepson had “wandered away” after I had given him permission to go play on the playground within my line of sight, I would politely say thank you but internally I would be wondering why you were butting into my business.
Children need to be taught how to take care of themselves and then given opportunities to practice those lessons, not be hovered over by adults who never allow them any independence or to develop their own competence. My stepson’s first solo commercial airplane flight (2 hr flight) just before turning 7 years old is something he now considers to be a major growing-up milestone, and he is very proud to have taken care of himself without mom or dad beside him. Giving him that freedom has helped to build his self-confidence and maturity.
The world is actually safer for kids now than it was in the 70s, despite popular concerns. Here is a blog by a woman who has been castigated by publicly talking about letting her 9 year old son ride the subway by himself. She provides information and links to debunk a lot of the current myths about how “unsafe” the world is for kids.